Alone, but Alone Together
by fourtrisfourever24601
Summary: Tris' mother passed away and her father abandoned her soon after. Caleb has become her only family. Together, they work to overcome what is thrown at them, and they meet many people along the way. *FourTris for the win*
1. Prologue

_"Bea! Bea!" Caleb shouts as he runs up the stairs. He barges into my room and looks as if he's seen a ghost. In his hand is a small white paper with writing on it._

 _"What is it, Caleb?" I ask, thoroughly confused._

 _"Here," he hands the note to me. "Dad's gone."_

 ** _Beatrice and Caleb,_**

 ** _Since your mother's passing, I have been overworking myself to try to dull the pain, but it's only stressing me out, and that stress is affecting our family. I left $100,000 for you for whatever you may need until you are able to support yourselves. I, of course, will have to pay all the bills and will continue to do so._**

 ** _Goodbye,_**

 ** _Dad_**

 _"That horrible excuse of a father," I say deadly and quietly._

 _"What?" Caleb says shocked._

 _"He left us, Caleb! He abandoned us! He's gone, Caleb! We're alone!"_

 _Caleb pulls me into a tight hug._

 _"I'm going to take care of you, Bea," he says. "We're going to get through this."_

I can't believe that was only two years ago. It seems like a lifetime away.

I'm now a junior in high school, and Caleb graduated college last year. He's a substitute teacher at the school and will take Mr. Burkely's position as a Biology teacher when Mr. Burkely retires next year.

His girlfriend, Susan, moved in with us a few months ago. She's lovely and like the sister I never had. Caleb really loves her, and I think she's head over heels for him too.

Throughout these past few years, I've learned to cherish the things I have; they could be taken away from me in an instant or abandon me just as quickly. I've gotten used to clinging on to Caleb like my lifeline; a dark little corner in my mind whispers to me that he'll abandon me just like Andrew Prior did years ago. I do my best to ignore that part of my mind because I know Caleb is ten times the man my father was.

"Bea?" Caleb says. He, Susan, and I are eating dinner, and I guess I spaced out.

"Sorry. Yes, Caleb?"

"I was just asking about school. How was your first day back?"

"It was as great as it's going to get, I guess," I reply. He chuckles.

"How are your friends? Other than Christina, of course. She's here almost everyday."

It's now my turn to do the chuckling.

"They're great, actually. Zeke and Shauna got together this summer."

"Finally!" Caleb blurts out. "The kid has had a crush on her for years!"

Susan and I laugh at his childish outburst. He just smiles.

We clean up the table and I load and run the dishwasher.

Caleb comes into the kitchen and gives me a hug.

"You're a bit pale," he says with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Sometimes I miss the life we used to have," I admit to him. "I wish she was still here with us to help us and guide us."

"Me too, Beatrice. I can feel her sometimes; her warm embraces, her soft touches, her gentle words. I wish she didn't have to leave us so soon. I'm glad, however, that I still have you," he says, smiling at me. "We've done well."

"We definitely have."

Caleb, other than Christina, is my best friend. Sure, he's my big brother, but he and I have always understood each other. He takes care of me, and in turn, I take care of him. We're alone, but at least we're alone together.

 **AN: Hello again, FanFiction! Good to see everyone is alive and well. I just thought I would mention that this story is also on Wattpad (my username is missymusicals) and I will most likely update more often on Wattpad than here. However, I do intend to update twice or three times a week, depending on how this story goes over. DON'T WORRY; the chapters will be longer than this prologue. I just thought I would give you a brief introduction of the story and a few characters. I hope that you'll like the story and review to let me know how my writing can improve. Much thanks and happy reading!**


	2. Continuous

**AN: This is two months after where the prologue takes place, so Andrew left two years and two months ago, and Natalie died two years and three months ago (just to clarify). I'm pleased to see the excitement in those of you that have started reading. Much thanks and happy reading!**

Life has really felt like an endless cycle recently. Get up, go to school, go to rehearsal, hang out with my friends, come home, eat, and go to bed. That's basically what every day is like. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I love who I spend time with and I love what I spend my time doing.

"Tris?" Christina says, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I guess I zoned out. I've been doing that a lot lately.

"What were you thinking about, huh?" she says with a smirk. "Were you thinking about he who shall not be named?"

I blush violently, even though I wasn't thinking about him.

"Who is it that shall not be named?" Uriah says, also smirking. Way to bring it up in front of everyone, Chris. Thanks.

Christina whispers in his ear, and I really hope she's not actually telling him, but my hopes are shattered when his jaw drops and his eyes go wide.

No one else at our table, thankfully, has noticed our conversation yet. I can tell he's about to scream, so I cut him off.

"Shush, Uriah!" I whisper yell at him. He nods as if apologizing.

I watch as Christina pulls out a piece of paper and her pink poofy pen. She scribbles something on it and hands it over to Uriah. His eyes skim over it as he giggles. My confusion continues to build as he then adds to the paper. Uriah then hands it over to me.

I read:

Four and Trissy sitting in a tree. ~ C

K-I-S-S-I-N-G! ~ Uri

I then write:

Way to be mature, guys. I knew I could count on you. -_- ~ T

They both laugh as they read it.

"Oh come on, Trissy," says Chris. "We're just joking!"

"Joking about what?" Zeke says. Great, I think to myself. We now have the attention of all of our friends: Me, Christina, Uriah, Zeke, Will, Marlene, Shauna, Lynn, and, sadly, Four.

Before I can protest, Uriah has formed the paper into an airplane and has thrown it across the table at Zeke.

"Uriah!" I yell. He looks at me with a sheepish grin.

Zeke's eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

"So, Zeke," Marlene says. "Are you going to tell us what is on the paper?"

"Sorry, Mar and friends," he says. "No can do. This is private information."

Everyone else gawks at him while I praise Jesus for making Zeke more mature than Uriah.

"Thank you," I whisper in his ear.

"Don't thank me," he says with a smirk. "Thank Jesus; he made me more mature than Uriah."

I guess I said that out loud.

He begins laughing as the bell signaling the end of lunch rings.

We walk out of the lunch room together and then split up to go to our classes. I begin to walk to Chemistry alone when I hear his voice.

"Tris!"

I turn around to see him walking towards me.

"Hey, Four," I say with a smile.

"What was that back there?" he says with an adorable curious look on his face. Crap.

"Nothing," I tell him. That is a lie. "Just Chris and Uriah messing around, you know?" That's better.

"You just seemed...I don't know how to put it," he tries to explain to me.

"I'm okay, Four," I reassure him. He smiles at me.

We walk the rest of the way in silence.

Page Break

I text Christina asking if she wants to hang out today. It's Thursday, so I don't have drama club rehearsal.

Let's go shopping. We both need a wardrobe update.

I laugh at her text and then reply.

 _Okay but you're driving. Pick me up at 4._

Haha 4!

 _Shut up._

I throw myself on my bed, staring at my closet. I eventually get up and pull out something to wear. I throw on dark skinny jeans and a dark read sweater. To top it off, I put on brown combat boots and put my hair in a simple braid. I hear the doorbell ring. I run down the spiral staircase of my house and to the front door.

"Ready?" Christina says.

"Yep," I reply.

Our first stop is Forever 21 which is Christina's second-favorite store. We buy matching outfits, consisting of light pink 'best friends' sweaters, white skinny jeans, and grey sparkly flats.

We then go into Christina's all-time favorite store: Aerie. She buys basically the whole store while I take my time choosing things. I'm only a B-cup, which makes me feel a bit insecure sometimes, so I go for more bold lingerie choices. I buy a push-up bra that is bright red and covered in lace. It has a matching thong so I decide that if I'm going for bold, I should get it. I buy another push-up bra, but this one is a deep blue; it reminds me of Four's eyes. I find the matching blue panties and get those as well. I also buy a white bralette, two pure lace thongs, another regular thong, and four more pairs of panties. Maybe I went a little overboard, but at least I'll be covered for a while.

Christina gives me a look of approval, seeing that I'm holding three bags from Aerie. She, of course, holds five, but I know I'm getting better with this sort of thing, so I don't let it bother me.

"Wait until Four sees all of those," she says, obviously joking.

"We aren't even together," I whine. She laughs at my childishness.

"Soon," she whispers, but I catch it.

"What?" I say and stop dead in my tracks.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," she says while biting her lip.

"I'm your best friend. Tell me!" I demand. She finally gives in.

"I kind of overheard a conversation between Zeke and Four. It was about you. Zeke told him what happened at lunch today and all of the details, and Four was all happy, saying he's had a crush on you for a while now and stuff," Christina squeaks out. "Zeke caught me and told me I couldn't ever tell you, but he told Four about you, so I think it's sort of okay, right?"

I squeal. Chris looks at me wide-eyed.

"Did the mighty Tris Prior just squeal?"

I just laugh as we exit the mall.

Page Break

School was a bit awkward today with Four knowing everything but not knowing that I know he knows. Luckily, I'll be able to see him along with my other friends tonight after rehearsal because the Pedrad brothers are having a party.

Rehearsal is the same as always: Nita complaining about how she's so much better than me and how I shouldn't have gotten the lead role. Whatever.

Christina, Marlene, Lynn, and Shauna come to my house to get ready for the party. They each pick an outlet in either my bedroom or the bathroom connected to it and plug in their straighteners and curling wands.

Chris comes over to me and hands me a large bag from Forever 21.

"I bought it for you yesterday when you weren't looking," she says. "Open it."

I hesitantly do so, and just as I expected, I pull out a dress that is much too short for my taste and definitely too low cut.

"I don't know, Chris-"

"Four will love it!"

With that, I reconsider.

"Do you think so?"

"Definitely," she says in all seriousness. "We all are wearing dresses tonight, so don't feel like you'll be the only one. And Tris," she whispers.

"Yeah?" I say, leaning in.

"Wear some hot underwear; we'll be playing Candor or Dauntless tonight."

I blush. She winks and laughs.

I go over to my closet and open the drawers next to it. I grab the blue push-up bra I bought along with the matching lace panties. I go into the guest bathroom down the hallway to change.

First, I change into the underwear I bought and look at myself in the mirror. I'm surprised to see what is looking back at me. For once, I look like I'm a seventeen year old female instead of a twelve year old boy. I have cleavage and my hips look really good too. With that little boost of confidence, I slide my dress on and zip it. It barely goes past my butt, which looks really good in this dress, by the way. The neckline plunges and shows off my breasts really well. Do I dare say it? I feel...sexy. The grey fabric of the dress brings out the grey in my eyes. The skintight fabric outlines my newly found curves. The sparkly cap sleeves give it just the right addition it needs. I enter my bedroom to see all of the girls staring at me with their jaws practically on the floor.

"Holy shit, Tris!" Shauna exclaims. "You look hot."

"She's right," Lynn throws in. "I'd tap that," she adds with a smirk.

"Are you trying to steal our boys?" Marlene says, joking, of course. "You'll definitely succeed in that."

"Thanks, guys," I say to them. "Do you..never mind."

"What, Tris?" Marlene asks.

I hesitate, suddenly shy again. I find it funny that I can switch from bold, sexy Tris to shy, quiet Beatrice in an instant.

"Do you guys think Four will like it?" I ask while looking at the floor.

"Is that even a question?" Christina asks. I look up at them.

"For real, Tris," Shauna says. "The boy is going to get hard as soon as he lays eyes on you."

I blush, bringing out the Beatrice in me again. I've only recently been getting comfortable with talking about sex, and it's still a bit new for me for it to be discussed so openly, but I'm getting used to it very fast.

"Girl, you've gotta get some," says Marlene suggestively. I just roll my eyes and smile.

"Tris!" Christina suddenly says. "We only have half an hour to do your hair and makeup. This is gonna be a bit rough, but I think we can do it."

She sits me in a chair and commands me not to move. I doze off until I hear her telling me we have to go. I get up and look in the mirror. Holy shit.

Christina really outdid herself. I already had foundation and concealer on my face, so she put on eyeliner and mascara and a red tint on my lips. She curled my hair and left it down. I think this is the most confident I have ever felt in my life.

"Ready?" Christina says as we head out the door.

"Of course," we all say to her as we head my car.

"It's party time."

 **AN: Don't forget; this story is also on Wattpad (my username is missymusicals)! I hope you guys don't hate Christmas, because it is going to be in a lot of the upcoming chapters, being that it is December. Thanks again!**


	3. Too Late

We pull up to the Pedrad house, the party already in full swing. There is loud music and lots of laughter, and the intense smell of alcohol hits me as I exit the car.

"Tris!" I hear from behind me. I turn around and see Four getting out of his truck.

Perfect timing.

"Hey," I say as he runs to catch up to me, but my tone turns to one of concern when he stops dead in his tracks.

"Are you o-"

"Damn, Prior."

I turn around to see the Pedrad brothers, and they whistle in appreciation.

"Looking good!"

I roll my eyes and turn back to Four who seems to have regained his composure.

"Want to go in or are we gonna stand out here all night?" I say jokingly. He smiles.

"Come on, sassy pants."

Inside the house is nothing but chaos. There is garbage and girls' underwear everywhere. Apparently we missed the "Panty War" as Uriah calls it.

"I'll go grab some drinks," Four says and begins to push through the crowd.

"Careful," I yell after him and he turns around. "People might start to think you're my date or something."

We both laugh and he walks toward the kitchen.

"TRIIIIIISSY!"

I turn around to see the very tall and very gay Al as he nearly tackles me to the ground in a hug.

"I couldn't even believe it was you! Girl, you look SO HOT!" he shouts among other things I can't comprehend since he is speaking a mile a minute.

"I just-" he stops mid-sentence as a pair of panties hits him in the head. Everyone goes silent and stares at him.

He pulls the pair of - very ugly - panties off his head and shouts, "IF YOU'RE GOING TO HIT ME IN THE HEAD WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR, PLEASE MAKE THEM STRIPPER-WORTHY! I DON'T WANT YOUR GRANNY-PANTIES!"

Everyone laughs and returns to their conversations.

"Hottie right behind you," Al says and turns away sharply.

"Wh-"

"I'm back."

I turn around to see Four with a drink in each hand. I assume that the caramel colored one is for him and the bright colored sugary one is for me.

"I'm not drinking that fruity shit," I say as I take the caramel colored liquid out of his hand and chug it.

He laughs.

"I didn't know you were the Whiskey type."

"Well, I'm certainly not the sugary fruit punch type," I reply. "Just the punch type," I say as I punch him in the shoulder playfully, causing him to spill the fruity drink all over himself.

He groans and I laugh.

"I'm gonna go-"

"UNLESS YOU ARE FOUR, SHAUNA, MARLENE, WILL, CHRISTINA, OR TRIS, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"No point in changing now," I say to Four. "You're gonna have to take your shirt off anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he says with a chuckle.

We head into the living room where the rest of our friends are already seated on the floor in a circle. I sit down between Four and Christina, making sure to close my legs so people can't see up my dress.

"I start!" Zeke says.

Uriah groans in protest, but we ignore him.

"Tris!" Zeke says with a devilish grin.

"On second thought, maybe we should let Uriah start-"

"Truth or dare?" he says, cutting me off.

"Dare."

He smiles wickedly, and my stomach does somersaults.

"You know what I want you to do."

"Absolutely not!" I protest.

Everyone else looks at each other confused.

"Come on, Trissy-"

"No."

"Pl-"

"Absolutely not."

"But-"

"NO, EZEKIEL PEDRAD."

"Do it or strip."

In that moment, I realized that I forgot to wear layers.

"Zeke," I say calmly. "Can I talk to you in the kitchen? Alone?"

He sighs but gets up, and I follow him in to the kitchen.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I shout at him angrily. "Are you TRYING to ruin everything?!"

"Woah, woah, Tris," Zeke says defensively. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Well, you're not helping!" I spit at him.

"Well, you're not helping yourself!" he shouts.

"I don't need your help!" I fire back, pure rage in my eyes.

"One of these days, you're going to have to get over yourself and let someone in! You walk around like you're the toughest piece of ass to enter the universe, but you aren't! You know it, and I know it! Maybe if you weren't so damn insecure, you would be able to realize that we want to help you! You can't do everything by yourself, so quit trying!"

I hear gasps behind me, and I turn around with tears in my eyes to see everyone there listening.

I push past the crowd and walk out of the house to my car. I get in and drive away without a single look back.

CHRISTINA POV

"What the fuck, Zeke?!" Four yells, and all of us turn to him, surprised.

"I'm really sorry, guys; I didn't mean for it to get that heated," Zeke says.

"It's not us you should be apologizing to," Shauna reminds him. "You were really hard on her."

"Why the hell would you say any of what you just said?! You know she's been having a rough time, and I'm sure your little outburst just made it a thousand times worse!" Four shouts.

"I'm sorry, okay?!" Zeke yells, but he then seems to relax. "I'll apologize to her tomorrow once I have my head on straight."

"I'm going to go check on her-" I start, but I'm cut off as each of our phones go off.

I pull my phone out of my bra and check the notification each of us seemed to receive.

"OH MY GOD!"


End file.
